Quick Handed
by XxNightAngelusxX
Summary: Raul has returned to New Vegas after a year wandering the wastes, protecting the weak... only to meet up with his long lost companion, his dearest friend, his old boss, the courier... Sandra. With their reunion comes some deep, unspoken feelings that finally surface between them both...


**The sun set easefully behind New Vegas, The Lucky 38 still towering over the wastes, obnoxiously glowing brighter than any star in the twilight sky... still, it was rather beautiful... as beautiful as an apocalyptic irradiated wasteland was permitted to be, anyway.**

**It was nice, he knew... nice to walk the wastes, wearing the sleek black combat armor his boss had gotten him long ago, his shining silver 44 magnum glistening in the dimming sunlight on his hip, his sky blue eyes lingering over the city of sin just before him.**

**He was Raul again.**

**No longer Miguel.**

**He was a quick-handed protector, a fantastic gunslinger, traveling the wastes and protecting the weak, making work by means of occasional bounty hunting. But now, here he was, standing in Freeside, at the entrance to the Strip. It had been nearly a year since the second battle at Hoover Dam.**

**He tipped the edge of his black fedora down, attempting to keep the city light from his eyes. It was annoying him, and beginning to give him a headache.**

**Raul marched through the gates, hoping the Securitrons would leave him be... and they did.**

**_Huh. They must remember me._**

**As he stepped onto the strip, vivid memories flashed through his old mind upon the sight of the Casinos, the Tops in the near distance, and just to his left-the Lucky 38.**

**Raul had come to Vegas for a break. Traveling the wastes and playing the role of a hero was tiring, and if he hadn't imagined it, quite lonely.**

**What better place to relax and take a breather than Vegas?**

**Still, he couldn't shake the feeling there as another reason he'd come back...**

**The sight of Vegas now was a bit different; the Securitrons seemed a bit calmer, and there was not a herd of drunken NCR troops stumbling around. In fact, if he hadn't imagined it, it looked as though the Kings' and the Followers of the Apocalypse's people were walking around...**

**So Freeside residents were welcome in Vegas now?**

_**That's an interesting approach, **_**Raul thought, eyeing the Lucky 38.**

**He knew that, most likely, in that building was his old boss... the kid who fought past a damnable amount of Super Mutants and Nightkin to save him about two years ago. The girl who he'd grown a kinship with during his travels with her... he recalled numerous times they'd sit at whatever dump they'd be camping in, chit-chatting about somewhat philosophical topics, and countless times when they'd get into altercations and save each other's asses.**

**Raul stepped up the bright walkway, approaching the doors. Victor, standing guard, who would usually shoot down anyone who got within ten feet of the Lucky 38's entrance, did nothing except stare at him.**

**"Howdy, partner! Long time no see!" He said to Raul.**

**Raul gave him a wave, then pushed open the doors and stepped inside.**

**The inside smelled like fresh leather and poker chips, the same smell, he imagined, it had over the past hundred years or so. It looked the very same as it did upon his last visit a year or so ago.**

**Clean, unused, and vacant.**

**It was the new White House of our day, he figured. From this casino, the courier ran everything.**

**Raul marched across the casino and pressed the elevator button. The door opened, and he stepped inside, pressed the "Penthouse" button, and waited until the doors shut and the elevator began moving.**

**He'd never been to the Penthouse before. Back when Sandra, the courier, was doing business with Mr. House, she and she alone was the only one allowed in the Penthouse... that was until, of course, Sandra disabled him and claimed his power.**

**Sandra was not a power hungry kid... in fact, she was rather innocent... as innocent as a wasteland survivor could be. She simply saw an opportunity to right the wrongs in New Vegas, and she took it.**

**Raul wondered how a kid like her was handling such a position of power.**

**When the doors opened, Raul found himself facing a great wall of crooked windows, overlooking Vegas and the rest of the wasteland from every corner, and from an amazing height.**

**He was in the top of the famous Lucky 38 tower.**

**How simply unbelievable.**

**He'd never thought in his dizziest daydreams that he'd end up here.**

**"Jimmy?" Came a monstrous voice, making Raul jump.**

**He flipped out his revolver in a millisecond, his eyes darting towards the direction of the voice.**

**He'd recognized the voice... one he was not fond of.**

**Not at all.**

_**A Nightkin.**_

**"Jimmy? Is that you Jimmy? Oh come here deary, give your grandmaw a kiss!" The deep and distorted voice called, and soon after, a humongous figure stepped from around the corner, staring at Raul.**

**It was a Nightkin-an odd one, wearing a flowery dress and a straw hat with a few flowers sticking out of it.**

**A female Nightkin...?**

**"Jimmy? Is that you?" The giant Nightkin woman asked.**

**"Uh..." Raul began, hand wrapped tightly around the handle of his gun. "Nope."**

**"Oh... ah... sorry, deary. I get confused, in my old age... or my insane mind... heheheh." The Nightkin said to him.**

**"Uh... it's okay." Raul said, hesitant to holster his revolver. "Who are you?"**

**"Lily, deary. My name is Lily." The Nightkin said.**

**"Oh." Raul said, quite bewildered as to why a delusional Nightkin woman was wandering around in the Penthouse of the Lucky 38.**

**"Sandra is a good friend of mine, deary... she asked me to look after things here while she's gone." Lily explained to him.**

**Raul felt something in him sink.**

**"She isn't here?" He asked.**

**"No, deary, I'm afraid she's not." Lily said. "She went to the old NCR place at the end of the Strip, deary... she went there to make a deal with somebody."**

**"With who?" Raul questioned.**

**"I don't know, deary, I don't know..." Lily replied, shaking her big head. "Sandra got an invitation to meet somebody over there... somebody who wants to strike a deal. That's all the invitation said, deary. It didn't tell us very much."**

**Raul narrowed his eyes at her.**

**"That doesn't sound safe." He said, his tone darkening.**

**"I know, deary, I know. That's what I told her. Let me come with you, I said... but no, she said she didn't want me to get hurt. Rex will be with me, she said... he'll keep me safe." Lily said.**

**Raul gazed at the ground, looking troubled.**

**"I'm not allowed to leave, deary, or I would go after her... but... you should go." Lily said.**

**Raul met her eyes, awaiting an explanation.**

**"She missed you, deary." Lily said. "When Raul was here, we would have so much fun, she said... all the time, she said. She went on about you after you left, deary... I never wanted him to leave, she said. I thought he planned to stay here, she said."**

**Raul blinked.**

**He attempted to bring back the memories of the past year, wondering if he had made it clear to her that he was leaving to travel the wastes... apparently he hadn't.**

**Guilt began to fester in him.**

**"Don't follow, she said... and don't send anyone after me, she said. Always trying to keep everyone out of danger... she doesn't realize that she needs help sometimes too, deary." Lily told him.**

**Yes, Raul remembered... he had the same problem when he and Sandra would travel together. Sandra would give stimpacks to Raul and Rex before she'd consider healing herself. She'd buy them food before she'd buy any for herself. Quite a caring individual... so caring, she often forgot about herself entirely.**

**That was one of Raul's favorite things about her... her selflessness. She was perhaps the only selfless, caring person he'd ever met... other than his little sister, of course... She was the best person to end up with this power, because she, unlike anyone in the wasteland, had never ****_asked _****for power.**

**He recalled many attempts when people would attempt to trick or manipulate her... and he was always quick to put a stop to it.**

**Raul gave Lily a serious look.**

**"I'll go get her."**

* * *

**Sandra's heart pounded.**

**Her expression was grave, though she did her absolute best to look calm.**

**Rex stood by her side, his brain case glowing a brilliant blue, staring down the enemies with a wolf-like leer, growling.**

**These people looked like thugs.**

**Old, raggedy people wearing torn and tattered clothing... though a few of them were decked out in spiky, slightly revealing armor... armor she'd seen before...**

_**Raider armor.**_

**The leaders of the tribe snickered, while the others stood their ground around the gate, ensuring that Sandra could not escape if she tried.**

**"This dumbass really came out here alone?" One of them said.**

**"Shit, you deserve to die." Another commented.**

**Sandra's ocean blue eyes went cold, her short, blood red hair swifting in the light wind, her fist clenching shut.**

_**It was a trap.**_

**She now felt incredibly stupid. She used to be pretty good at slithering out of traps she'd walk into by accident, like when a thug in Freeside tried to lure her down an alley way just to mug and kill her about a year ago... her companion, Raul, was a crackshot. He'd killed every one of the thugs before they were able to get within ten feet of her.**

**Though for some reason, she couldn't seem to get out of those situations anymore...**

**Her heart hammered now... the thugs drew nearer.**

**Sandra was sure she'd die here.**

_**Yes,**_** she knew. ****_This was it..._**

**Her eyes scanned over the enemies... only three of them had guns. The rest only had iron rods or baseball bats...**

**Sandra had her beloved riot shotgun... if she could draw it quickly enough, perhaps she could drop one of the armed thugs and run like hell before the others had a chance to shoot her down like a dog... of course, she had nowhere to run... but she'd have to try... it was her only chance...**

**BANG.**

**The gates to the abandoned NCR headquarters blasted open, sending many of the thugs crashing onto the pavement.**

**An explosion rang, smoke and bits of fire engulfing the air.**

**All the thugs looked to the gates, looking shocked.**

**Sandra flipped her gun out, sending off five quick shots into the people standing before her... a few of them dropped... she didn't stick around to wait for a retaliation...**

**She turned and ran.**

**A horribly loud barrage of gunshots erupted.**

**Victor came rolling in through the broken gates, shooting off his gun-hands, sending bullets flying amok through the crowd of thugs, ripping through them like tissue...**

**Sandra caught a glimpse of Victor as she ran.**

_**Victor?**_** She thought. ****_I didn't tell any of them to back me up, why is he...?_**

_**FWUMP.**_

**A body collided with her, tacking her to the ground. Despite that she was wearing her black combat armor, it managed to knock the wind out of her.**

**Her eyes tried to focus...**

**A crazed Raider sat mounted on top of her, raising a jaded, rusty old knife...**

**Sandra's heart skipped, her lungs void, her body unable to move...**

_**Oh God... this is it.**_

**BANG.**

**A shot rang in her ears.**

**Her eyes were sealed shut as she awaited death... wondering when the knife would finally tear through her...**

**After a moment passed by, nothing had happened... she felt no pain...**

**Her eyes eased open.**

**The Raider on top of her slumped, falling onto the ground. The blade slipped from his hand, falling onto the ground with a light ****_cling._**

**A moment later, a figure was kneeling over her, examining her closely... she recognized that fleshy face, the absent nose, the beautiful, milky blue eyes...**

**"Long time no see, boss." Raul said, letting slip a smirk, slipping his revolver back into the holster. **

**Sandra's heart could have stopped, her body filling with a static-like sensation, her face red. She stared up at him, flustered and surprised beyond measure.**

**Sandra attempted to speak, but she couldn't make words... she still couldn't force her lungs to take in air... she then tried to sit up, and failed.**

**"Com'ere." Raul said, placing his hand on the small of her back, sliding his arm under her legs-and he lifted her.**

**It startled her-she'd never been picked up before.**

**Raul carried her like an infant through the broken gates as Rex, Victor, and the rest of the Securitrons continued to slaughter the thugs.**

**As he headed towards the Lucky 38, Sandra suddenly felt as though she was living some kind of anticipated fantasy, something remarkable, some off-the-wall dream...**

_**Raul was back.**_

* * *

**Time had passed.**

**Sandra's scattered mind had, at last, started trying to work properly again... she peered around, realizing that she was in the Lucky 38's Penthouse, in her enormous fluffy bed.**

**"Nice of you to finally wake up and join the waking world, boss." Raul's voice came.**

**Sandra turned her head, spotting Raul, who sat on the side of the bed, watching her.**

**"Where'd you come from?" She asked, her voice hoarse, though still as light, sweet, and innocent as Raul remembered. Sandra sat up, though she stopped moving abruptly once she had, due to the splitting migraine settling in her head.**

**"You hit your head when you fell, boss." Raul told her. "I was pretty close to smacking you awake, actually. Didn't want you slipping away on me."**

**Sandra rubbed her temples, unable to take her eyes off her long lost friend.**

**Rex gave a happy bark once he realized his master was awake again, sitting perched at the door.**

**"When did you get here?" Sandra asked.**

**"Little while ago." Raul said. "I figured I'd drop by and see what's become of Vegas. And... uh... check up on you. Boss."**

**Sandra nodded, looking down.**

**A moment of silence lingered over them.**

**"Good to see you again." Sandra said to him, giving him a weak smile.**

**"Likewise, boss." Raul responded, feeling an odd rush of happiness.**

**"You don't have to call me boss anymore, y'know." Sandra told him. "I mean... you left... you do your own thing now. I'm not your boss anymore."**

**"Sure you are, boss... I wouldn't know what else to call you." Raul said. "And... I, uh... didn't expect to leave like I did. I just figured... since you had Vegas in your hands and all... you didn't really need an old man dragging you down anymore."**

**"Oh, please... we're gonna have this conversation again..." Sandra said, rolling her eyes.**

**Raul grinned.**

**He remembered getting in many debates with her regarding if he was "too old" to be of any use anymore.**

**Still, she managed to inspire him otherwise. Sandra, along with a few fighting old men they'd met along the way, had inspired him to pick up his guns again and fend off evil.**

**"I've been hearing stuff about you, Raul." Sandra said. "You've been killing off Slavers and leftover Legion left and right."**

**"That's the best an old man like me can do, boss." Raul said.**

**"Shut up with that "old man" stuff." Sandra ordered him. **

**"Sorry, boss."**

**A moment passed by. They watched one another.**

**Both of them laughed.**

**"So what's up with this place, boss?" Raul asked. "I figured you'd have Vegas under martial law by now, and you would've married some rich gambler from the Tops."**

**Sandra giggled.**

**"And what about you? Still haven't run off with some Ghoulette yet?" She said.**

**Raul shook his head.**

**"Even Ghoulettes have standards, boss."**

**They paused.**

**"I missed you." Sandra said, feeling the blood rush into her face. "I... um... I didn't know you were leaving when you took off."**

**Raul stared at her.**

**"That Nightkin told me, boss." He said, pointing towards the door. **

**"Oh, you met Lily." Sandra said.**

**"Yeah, nearly took her head off, boss. You know how I am with Nightkin." Raul said to her, horrid memories of Tabitha and her followers playing through his mind.**

**They stared at one another for a moment.**

**"Sorry I left, boss." Raul said. "I didn't figure it would make much of a difference. But... well... I was wrong... seeing that you're still falling into every trap set for you." He laughed.**

**"Shut ****_up!" _****Sandra said, unable to hide her grin.**

**"So no husband, then, boss?" Raul asked her.**

**She looked at him.**

**"Nope." Sandra said. "I wouldn't date any of the fucktards around here. Decent people are hard to find... especially in our time."**

**"Yeah, they are." Raul agreed. ****_And you're the only one I've met,_**** he thought, though he shook the thought away.**

**"Hey, Raul. Can I ask you something?" Sandra wondered.**

**"Sure, boss."**

**"Have you ever thought about finding someone?" She asked.**

**Raul looked down, in thought.**

_**Is this going where I think its**_**_ going...?_**

**No. Don't be stupid.**

**"You always talked about what you wanted to do with your life, y'know... but you never said anything about finding someone." She added.**

**"That's not exactly a goal that Ghouls can meet, boss." Raul told her. "Even one as handsome as me."**

**"Who cares if you're a Ghoul." Sandra said.**

**Raul met her gaze.**

**That pale face, those deep blue eyes, that shining red hair... she was dead serious. He missed her naive statements, along with the simple pleasure of looking at her.**

**Her innocence bled through her eyes.**

**He wanted to respond, but he couldn't find any words.**

**"I... was thinking... ever since you left." Sandra said, looking away, her face scarlet. "You're the only person to ever... treat me decent, y'know?"**

**Raul's heart thumped.**

_**This can't be going where I think its going...**_

**"Yeah, boss?" He said. **

**"You're the only person I kn-know for sure I can trust, y'know?" She said. "So... why would I wanna be with anyone else?"**

**Raul went quiet. **

**Of course he cared deeply for her... he'd grown to love her dearly over their time together... but he knew that, one day, she'd lead her own life, meet a normal human guy, and they'd live on in the wastes... any weird thoughts that happened to enter his mind about the two of them, he quickly threw away. ****_What smoothskin could ever love a Ghoul? _**

**"Boss," he began, unsure what to say.**

**"Raul, I wanna tell you something, okay? Before I lose my nerve." Sandra said, her eyes glistening. ****_Was she about to cry? _**

**Raul nodded.**

**Sandra looked off, inhaling deeply, then met his eyes again.**

**"I love you." **

**The words could have killed him... it was the last thing he'd expected to hear... from anyone, really... but especially... **

**Sandra kept her focus on him, awaiting a response.**

**Raul took a moment.**

**"I love you too, boss." Raul said before he could stop himself. It was not a lie, though...**

**Of course...**

**Of ****_course _****he loved her.**

**"But... me, boss?" He said. "Why... why ****_me_****?"**

**Sandra grinned, a single tear sliding down her smooth little cheek.**

**"Because it's **_**you." **_**She answered simply.**

**Sandra turned and extended her legs over the edge of the bed, preparing to stand.**

**"Be careful boss, you're still-"**

**Sandra reached her feet and approached Raul, who sat still, watching her, forcing himself to appear calm. She bent down and embraced him like the long lost loved one that he was.**

**Raul stood and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.**

**He was always careful not to come too close to anyone, or touch them... most people were disgusted by Ghouls, and they didn't want their gross, decaying bodies anywhere near them. Sandra, however, never thought that way of Raul. She simply saw him as another person, and that's all... he never had to worry about offending her by touching her.**

**She'd hugged him many times before, and it took a while for him to get used to.**

**But he loved it.**

**And here they were, standing in the Penthouse, hugging one another so closely it seemed as though they wanted nothing more than to become one in the same person.**

**Her head lie on his chest, and she felt his heart beating through his armor. ****_God, its been too long... _**

**The scent of her hair got to him, and he rested his chin upon her head, placing a hand on it, cradling it.**

**"Boss... are you sure you-"**

**"Shh." Sandra said, closing her eyes, snuggling him. "Of course I'm sure."**

**She looked up, her eyes glimmering, her little face forming a smile.**

**Raul swiped one of her bangs from her face, staring into her...**

**"I'm not gonna lie, boss." He said. "I don't taste very good."**

**"Shut up." Sandra said, leaning into him.**

**"I'm thinking you might... uh... need a body guard, boss. Working here... and all."**

**"Yeah, you're hired." Sandra said.**

**Sandra's lips met Raul's, and they shared a long, dream-like kiss... she felt as though every hardship, every problem, every trouble whatsoever was melting away... her soul bleeding into his... yes, here he was... him, the one Sandra loved more than anything... no, they were no longer standing in the wasteland, the land of hell fire and horrors... they were standing in Heaven, in a meadow of flowers... that's how it felt, anyway...**

**The only light Raul had in this dark world, and here she was... it was unthought of... it was unreal... she truly loved him as much as he loved her... his sweet, loving boss was back in his arms...**

**"Don't run off again." Sandra told him.**

**Raul smiled.**

**"Never, boss."**


End file.
